


One Simple Thing

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Original Character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-09-16
Updated: 2000-09-16
Packaged: 2019-05-15 15:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14792705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: What if KD had been on the campaign trail?





	One Simple Thing

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters nor do I own "The West Wing". If I  
did, I suppose KD would exist. ::Grins:: Hehehe. Just kidding. I trust and  
believe in the almighty Aaron Sorkin, who has mentioned that Toby will be  
"feeling the love" come second season. Heh. I do own KD Brody... although  
she doesn't approve of the usage of the word 'own'.  
NOTES: I was writing with Dallas, something we do a lot, and we started  
writing an alternate universe. Some of the things that happened in this  
universe intrigued me. Okay, so a lot of it did. But in this story, I'm  
focusing on the what if's of KD and Toby. What else could I write about?  
::Grins::  
I just wrote this story in about forty minutes. I hope it's not too bad. :)  
Don't kill me please. It might get confusing, but it should explain itself.  
Enjoy and I'll have more of Rade tomorrow.  
SHOUT OUT: I've mentioned her name already, but she's a great writer and she  
needs a lot of recognition for this (even though she didn't know I was going  
to write it) and she wrote half the stuff in here. :) DALLAS YOU ARE GREAT!  
:) Everyone encourage her to write more.  
SUMMARY: What if KD had been on the campaign trail?  
SPOILERS: Well, there's a lot of the first season mixed up in here. For  
starters, if you don't know who Jed Bartlet is, you probably shouldn't read  
this story.

DAY 22 of the Josiah Bartlet Campaign for the Presidential Democratic  
Nomination

Toby Ziegler took a deep breath and looked around. He was really standing  
in the campaign headquarters of a man he believed could be the best president  
this country of theirs ever had, and it was somewhat daunting. He glanced to  
his left and saw Leo McGarry talking to Joshua Lyman and Mandy Hampton. Mandy  
looked angry, but then again she always did. Josh was smiling weakly at her,  
his arm snaked around her waist. He turned his head again and saw Samuel  
Seaborn and Donatella Moss talking softly with Claudia Jean Cregg. They  
seemed to be concentrating hard on their conversation, and it seemed very  
interesting to see them all together. This staff was going to do it. He knew  
it.  
Turning his head once more, he saw the presidential candidate himself  
walk in with the future first lady and another young woman. Josiah Bartlet  
radiated a sort of charisma that no one could deny. Despite Bartlet's more  
annoying qualities, Toby liked him. His eyes drifted back to the woman by his  
side. She was about 5'7" with light brown hair that was cut a bit shorter  
than shoulder length. Her eyes were brown, but there were speckles of a  
glittery green every here and there. She smiled at something Bartlet said,  
and the edges of small white teeth became visible. She was wearing loose  
business pants and a nice looking blouse. All in all, she was a moderately  
attractive woman. Moderately.  
"Everyone listen up, would you please?" Jed called. Everyone looked at  
him accordingly. Out of the corner of his eye, Toby saw a look of amazement  
spread of Leo McGarry's face. "I'd like to introduce the newest member of our  
staff, Dr. Kathryn Dylan Brody. She's got a Ph.D in political science so  
she's got to be good for something, right?" Bartlet joked. People chuckled  
weakly as Leo moved forward to hug the woman happily.  
"Hi." The woman said weakly to everyone else.  
"Okay, go back to work. Let's make this country a better one." Bartlet  
called. The people went back to work and Toby watched as the newcomer and Leo  
talked vibrantly. She laughed and Toby couldn't help but wonder at how  
melodious the sound was.  
"Toby?"  
"Toby??"  
"Toby, are you in there?" Toby turned and looked at Sam Seaborn. The  
young man looked at him in worry. "You okay?"  
"Fine. Just wondering who the new one is." Toby admitted.  
"Hey, if she's qualified, I'm just glad we have the extra help." Sam  
exclaimed. Toby shrugged.  
"What do you want?" He asked sharply.  
"You wanted to see the layout briefing for the convention on the 13th."  
Sam said weakly, not really used to being snapped at. Toby took the papers  
and nodded, looking through them absentmindedly.  
"Great, thanks." He muttered. Sam sighed and walked away. Toby looked up  
and saw the new Dr. Brody leaning against the desk, reading a report. "What  
are you doing?" He asked.  
"Uh, reading." She replied.  
"Get me a cup of coffee, would ya?" He asked, looking back at his  
briefing. She chuckled.  
"You're kidding, right?" She asked. He looked at her.  
"No. Coffee. Black." He added and looked back.  
"Get it yourself." She retorted and started walking away. He looked at  
her in shock.  
"You're not doing anything else." He pointed out sharply.  
"I'm walking away from you. That's something." She called back and went  
into Leo's office. Toby growled and looked at a young woman with a smirk on  
her face.  
"You, what's your name?" He asked.  
"Ginger." The woman replied.  
"Ginger, get me a cup of coffee. Black." He ordered and moved into his  
office.

**********************************  
DAY 30

"I can't believe you're saying this!" Toby shouted.  
"I'm just telling you what I know, Ziegler." KD replied calmly.  
"Which isn't a whole lot!" He growled.  
"Hey, now, don't make this personal." She retorted as she got to her feet  
and walked for the door.  
"Where are you going?" He snapped.  
"To talk to my boss and make my recommendation. You may not see it, but  
the fact is that the 18-25 demographic is being left out. People in that age  
group are still trying to figure what being an adult means, and politics may  
not mean jack shit to them when it should." She retorted as she backed away  
from him towards the center of town, Josiah Bartlet 98'. He followed her.  
"I don't know where you get off telling me how to do my job. We talked to  
them. We gave them the options." He exclaimed as he walked with her. "They  
make the decision not to show up."  
"Do they? Or are they scared by all your big nasty words, Mr.  
Speechwriter?" KD teased. Toby fumed.  
"You're just upset because you don't understand them." He snapped.  
"I checked a couple of your words in the dictionary. They weren't there."  
She retorted.  
"Listen, those kids not any more likely to listen to you than they are to  
me or him." Toby exclaimed. "Why would they listen to some flaky, elusive,  
arrogant little criminal?" He growled. KD stopped in her tracks and looked at  
him.  
"What the hell did you just call me?" She asked angrily.  
"You heard me." He said with a satisfied smirk. She returned the smirk  
insincerely and then drove a right hook straight into his nose. Toby went  
sprawling to the ground and looked up only to see her retreating back. Sam  
hurried over to him and helped him to his feet.  
"Geeze, you're bleeding, Tobe. Keep your head up." The younger man  
advised as he grabbed a kleenex. Toby snatched the kleenex away and followed  
the advice, lifting his bloody nose to the ceiling.  
"I'm going to kill that woman." He growled.  
"Funny. Looks like *she* tried to kill *you*." Sam pointed out.  
"Sam." Toby stated. "Go away."  


"You called her a criminal??" Leo snapped as he burst into Toby's office.  
Toby looked up in surprise and then back to his legal pad as soon as he  
realized what Leo was talking about.  
"You know, I've already been punched in the nose. I really don't need  
this." Toby retorted.  
"You deserved that blow, Ziegler." Leo exclaimed. "You don't know  
anything about KD or her past, and you have the gall to treat her like shit  
from her first day here on in?"  
"Hey, I call it like I see it." Toby retorted.  
"Toby, that kid..." Leo stopped himself and looked around angrily.  
"She's been through more than you ever have, Toby. Goddamn it, you should  
give her the respect she deserves. In my mind, if she didn't break your  
goddamn nose, she didn't hit you hard enough." He added sharply and stormed  
out of the room again, slamming the door behind him. Toby watched him go and  
then looked back at his paper, shaking his head. He stopped shaking it as he  
realized that when you shake an injured head, it causes the injury to hurt  
more. He groaned and looked around for his painkillers. She'd hit him four  
hours ago, and it still hurt like hell.  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Toby continued his search for the  
bottle of tylenol while barking "What do you want?" The door creaked open and  
then swiftly shut again. When Toby looked up, he found KD sitting on the arm  
of his couch. His eyes narrowed.  
"That doesn't look so bad. I normally do much worse damage." She said,  
trying to make a light joke. He didn't laugh. She sighed and looked at her  
hands. The knuckles on her right hand were lightly bruised. "Toby, I came  
here --" She started.  
"I really don't think that we have anything to say to each other." He  
interrupted. She looked at him and nodded.  
"You may not have anything to say to me, but I've got something to say to  
you." She pointed out. "The fact that you don't have anything to say makes  
things easier on me. If you'll just let me say what I've got to say, no  
interruptions, I can say it and get out of your hair."  
"Fine. Talk." Toby said, leaning back in his chair and watching her  
carefully. She sighed again and looked at her hands.  
"I really... I really should not have hit you and I'm truly, very  
sorry. I have this problem where, when I get really hurt, I don't know how to  
deal with it, so the pain transforms into anger and I react accordingly. I  
don't know where it comes from." She said softly. "My parents used to fight a  
lot, all the time, when I was a kid, until my father left when I was nine.  
Then the house was silent. He died when I was 13, and my mom left when I was  
15, and I really don't know why I'm telling you this." She said with a very  
weak chuckle. By now, Toby's expression had softened somewhat. He could hear  
her voice cracking more with each word. She took a deep breath.  
"Anyway, I grew up with Bartlet and Leo." She said, gesturing towards the  
door. "That's how I know them." She paused again. "Anyway, the thing is, to  
make a long story short, that I've had quite a few bad things happen to me in  
my life, and I really don't deal with hurt very well. When you... said  
what you said, it hurt me a lot. It hurt me rather deeply and it was a shock.  
Until recently, I wasn't even sure why it hurt so much, but anyway." She  
paused. "I didn't know that I had made any sort of impression on you like  
what you were insinuating, and instead of reacting the way I should have, I  
got angry and I lost control. I know that was an overcomplicated apology, but  
it's done now. I'm sorry. I'll get out of your hair." She finished softly and  
hurried out of the room.  
Toby sat at his desk for another few minutes, thinking about everything  
she'd said to him. Suddenly, he felt bad. He got to his feet and hurried out  
after her. He arrived in the doorframe of her makeshift office and found her  
tossing things into a large box.  
"What's this?" He asked. She looked at him and he saw the tears in her  
eyes.  
"I'm leaving." She said softly and went back to cleaning out her desk. "I  
shouldn't have come here. I'm resigning."  
"Don't resign because of me." He exclaimed. She laughed weakly.  
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm leaving for many different reasons. You're  
just on the top of the list." She replied.  
"Yeah? What are some of the others?" He challenged. She paused.  
"I'll get back to you." She murmured. Toby smirked weakly and closed the  
door behind him.  
"Don't leave because of me, Katy. I mean, I'm a jerk to everyone. I guess  
I was especially cruel to you, and to be honest, I don't know why. You're a  
good person and I'm just an idiot. Don't leave." He said softly. She looked  
at him, her eyes pondering his sincerity.  
"Toby, I honestly don't know why you've been like this to me either, but  
I can't stay here if--" She started.  
"You said that you weren't sure until recently why what I said hurt you  
so much." Toby interrupted, changing the subject slightly. "What did you  
discover recently?" He asked. She glanced at him.  
"That doesn't really matter." She said as she looked at her box. Toby  
raised an eyebrow in curiosity.  
"It does to me." He said softly. She looked at him again.  
"I discovered that the reason it hurt so much is because you're a good  
guy, Toby, and you... your opinion means a lot to me. A lot more than you  
might think." She said boldly. Toby nodded.  
"Okay." He said. "You're staying?"  
"Yeah, I guess I am."  
"Good." He paused. "I'm still going to argue with you."  
"No insults."  
"No insults."  
"Then I look forward to seeing you on the battlegrounds, Mr. Ziegler." KD  
said with a weak smile. Toby smiled back, something she'd never really seen  
before, and nodded.  
"Until then, Dr. Brody." He said softly and left the room. KD watched the  
door close and then looked at her box. With a sigh and a bewildered smirk,  
she sat down and started unpacking again.

*********************************  
Day 37

Toby took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. He was starting to get tired  
of the long days and he knew that a long stretch of them were going to  
follow. Jed Bartlet's new campaign with the 18-25 demographic was working  
pretty well, which made KD somewhat insufferable, but Toby managed. He got to  
his feet and went out into the main corridor, heading for the coffee machine.  
As he paused to pour his mug of black coffee, he saw a new notice on the  
bulletin board.

'Needed ~ Approach on Medical Research ~ Strength needed there'

Toby frowned and snatched the note. He knew that handwriting. Brody.  
Where the hell did medical research come into the picture? He stormed towards  
her office and found her on her way.  
"What's this?" He asked sharply.  
"It's my notice, which should be on the board, not in your hand." She  
pointed out as she tried to take it from him. He held it back and held up his  
hand with a warning index finger.  
"You don't put things up there for everyone to see until you've  
double-checked it with me." He growled. She assumed a mock salute.  
"Sir, yes, sir. Anything else, sir?" She asked in a deep tone. He shifted  
in his stance.  
"We need to talk. In private." He said sharply. She nodded.  
"Please, step into my sanctuary." She said, bowing towards her office. He  
grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room, closing the door behind them. A  
little surprised by this, KD opened her mouth to say something but was  
interrupted by a silencing Ziegler index finger. Toby opened his mouth to say  
something but then realized that he'd completely forgotten what he was going  
to say.  
He crumpled up the note and tossed it on to her desk before looking back  
at KD. She was leaning up against the door, watching him with a confused  
smirk. His eyes caught hers and his throat caught gently. Slowly he moved  
towards her, his eyes holding hers. She watched him.  
"I have a question." He said softly.  
"What's that?" She asked as he neared her.  
"When you said that my opinion meant a lot to you, you started to say  
something else, something before it." He said softly. "What were you going to  
say that you changed your mind about?"  
"I don't know. I don't remember." She said, a little too quickly. He  
shook his head and pinned her against the wall.  
"I think you do remember." He said softly. "You were going to say that  
*I* meant a lot to you, not my opinion."  
"I was not." She insisted softly.  
"You mean a lot to me too. I don't understand it. I really don't. I think  
it's why I've been so harsh with you." He murmured as he nudged his nose  
against hers. She closed her eyes.  
"Toby." She whispered.  
"You don't know how to deal with pain. I don't know how to deal with  
joy." He whispered. "Help me learn how to deal with joy, Katy." He pleaded  
before pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was brief, but not alone. Toby  
pulled away only for a splite second before grasping her lips in his again.  
KD, who was a little shocked by all this, was even more surprised when she  
felt her muscles moving to reciprocate his actions. She slipped her arms  
around his neck as he gathered her in his own arms, their lips never leaving.  
Toby pulled her close and then pressed back against the doorway, his lips  
devouring hers. KD moaned softly and just held him closer while tangling her  
tongue with his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Toby opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He glanced around the  
room in a feeble attempt to recognize it. He was no longer in the past, no  
longer trapped in a world that had never existed. He glanced over to his side  
and saw KD sleeping there, snuggled close to his chest and breathing slowly  
as she slept. He smiled and cuddled down close to her.  
As his mind began to clear, he realized that it was just a dream. Back on  
the campaign trail, KD had never been there. She'd never argued with him  
about the 18-25 demographic, never punched him in the nose and never kissed  
him on her couch. Well, not then. Now he was back in reality though, with her  
cuddled close to his side, wearing his wedding ring and carrying his child.  
His children. Toby looked down at her again and found the brown-green eyes  
watching him.  
"Hi, handsome." She whispered.  
"Hi, gorgeous." He murmured as his hand began to stroke up her sides. She  
smiled and moved up a little to kiss him gently on the lips. He returned the  
kiss and then deepened it, rolling on top of her to kiss her neck gently.  
"You feeling good this morning?" She teased. He looked into her eyes and  
nodded, pressing his lips to hers.  
"I'm realizing something." He whispered.  
"What's that?" She asked in curiosity as he began to kiss her neck again.  
She murmured softly, still waiting for an answer. Toby tried to think of one  
as he explored her skin with his lips. The truth was that what he was  
realizing was how lucky he truly was. Whether they had gotten together on the  
campaign trail or in the White House, they shared something that most people  
spent their lives searching for. They shared a true love unlike anything  
else.  
"I realized..." He whispered before looking into her eyes again. "I  
realized one simple thing. And it has made all the difference." He added  
before grasping her lips in his and rejoicing in her presence. She kissed  
back, her arms wrapping around him as he carried her away to another world, a  
world of happiness, a world unlike she'd ever known before she met him.  
A world they'd created solely for each other.

THE END... .

  

  


End file.
